Automatic railway car coupling



June 16, 1931. c. HELLWIG I AUTOMATIC RAILWAY CAR COUPLING Filed Dec.

, v 7/ Z m A u b o v o a d 01 5 Patented June 16, 1931 cAnL HELLWIG, mm; COLOMBIA PATENT:

Aurorm'rrc RAILWAY can COUPLING Application filed December 29, 1930, Serial No.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic railway car couplings used for automatically coupling one car of a railway train to that of another. The object is to produce an automatic railway car coupling which is absolutely safe in operation, and may be manufactured with comparatively low costs, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, claimed 1 and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. l is a front view, and j Fig. 2 a plan of the coupling connected with the end of a car, and engaged by the draw-head of another car. a

Fig. 3 is a similar plan View, in a position in which the draw-head is disengaged.

Fig. 4: is a side view of the coupling.

The principal parts of the railway car 7 coupling consist of two rotatable toothed or corrugated coupling members a journalled rotatably on strong, rigid bolts 6 in a frame 0 firmly mounted on the end of the car. This frame 0 comprises two lateral arms (Z and f, 5 on the upper ends of which a locking rail or bar is adapted to slide. On the arm 7 the locking bar 9 is guided by a threaded stud h projecting through a slot h of the bar 9 and earring a nut 7L The locking bar 9 is moreover provided with slotsz' through which project studs 6 formed by the reduced ends of thebolts b, which reduced ends are threaded and provided with nuts 6 The arm (Z of the frame 0 is bifurcated and between the shanks (Z and d of the bifurcation the bar 9 is laterally guided. Studs 7c mounted on the upper faces of the coupling members (Z engage links m which are pivoted by a stud n to thelocking bar 9 to form a linkage between the coupling members a and the locking bar 9. On one of the shanks ((Z) of the. bifurcated arm (l a levero forming a rotatable latch is rotatab-ly mounted, adapted to engage either by itself or by a shoulder 0 r a recess p of the bar 9 in locking position of the coupling, Fig. 2. A spring 9 attached with one end to the arm (Z and with its other end to the latch 0 tends to keep the latch down on the bar 9 so as to force it into the recess p when the coupling is closed. The sec-- p u correspond with the corru 5Q5,397,ani1 in Germany September 17,:1929,

ondshankd of the bifurcated arm cl serves for guiding the free end' 0 ofth'elatch 0, which by a rod r is connected with an arm'of a two-armed lever s, the other arm of which'being constructed as a handle, by the aid: of which the latch 0 may be raised to releasethe locking bar 9. p The draw-head t of the other car is provided with corrugations u, thus forming one member of the coupling. These corrugations o of the coupling meinbers'a. When two cars approach one" another the coupling member or'drawliead't; engages in between the corrugations c of the coupling members a, which'thereupon rotate in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 3. lVhen the rotation is accomplished to'such an extent as is shown in Fig. 2; the links m having efiected a sliding movement of'the locking bar 9, the latch 0 by the action of the spring 9 drops intoa gap 32 and thus locks the coupling in this position, Fig.2. Any pulling action of the draw-head t cannot result in a release or opening ofv the coupling. When such release is to be carried out, the handle 8 must be pressed down thereby lift- ;ing the latch 0 upwardly, so as to disengage gations or teeth the bar 9. When now a pull is exerted the draw-head t will be released from engagement of the coupling members a which will rotate back into 'theposition shown in Fig. 3 the links at and the bar 9 no longer preventing such movement. v

The locking bar 9 which is made sufficient- 1y strong and broad, may be provided with gaps 70 into which the studs'r c may engage when the coupling isreleased. This will prevent thelocking bar 9 to slip into any undesired position giving it a goodhold.

For allowing irregularities in the dimensions of the cars or of the position of the coupling member or draw-head t and also-for allowing variations when passing curves the of the car but is only guided on a fixed wall or plate "w and connected with the car by chains 05, which may be held taut by'the" spring By such means any differences frame 0 is not firmly attached to the end with regard to the straight line are well overcome.

I claim:

1. An automatic railway car coupling comprising two rotatable coupling members and a cooperating coupling member adapted to engage said rotatable coupling members when the car on which the cooperating coupling member is mounted approaches the car on WhlCll saidrotatable coupling members are mounted, a locking bar, links; connecting the l last named members with said locking; bar

and a latch adapted to engage-and lock said locking barin coupling position of the coupling members.

2. An automatic railway car coupling comprising two rotatable coupling members and a cooperating coupling. member adapted to engage said rotatable coupling members when the car on which the cooperating coupling member is mounted approaches the car on which said rotatable coupling members are mounted, a locking bar arranged slidably on the pivots of the rotatable coupling members, links connecting the last named members with said locking bar and a latch adapted torengage and lock'said lockingbar in coupling positionof the coupling members.

In testimony whereof I have signed'my name to thisspecification. v a l CARL HELLVVIG. 

